Sir Hyde Parker | |
|---|---|
_-_Captain%2c_Later_Admiral%2c_Sir_Hyde_Parker_(1739%25E2%2580%25931807)_-_926813_-_National_Trust.jpg) Portrait of Parker byGeorge Romney | |
| Born | 1739 Devonshire, England |
| Died | 16 March 1807(1807-03-16) (aged 67–68) London, England |
| Allegiance | Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | North Sea Fleet Leeward Islands Station Jamaica Station Baltic Fleet |
| Conflicts | American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
AdmiralSir Hyde Parker (1739 – 16 March 1807) was aRoyal Navy officer who served in theFrench Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
He was born inDevonshire,England,[1] the second son of AdmiralSir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet (1714–1782). He entered the Royal Navy at an early age, and becamelieutenant on 25 January 1758, having passed most of his early service in his father's ships.[2] On 16 December 1762 was promoted to commandManila, from which, on 18 July 1763, he wasposted toBaleine.[3]
From 1766 onwards for many years he served in theWest Indies and in North American waters, particularly distinguishing himself in breaking the defences of theNorth River atNew York in 1776 as captain ofHMS Phoenix. His services on this occasion earned him aknighthood in 1779. In 1778 he was engaged in theSavannah expedition, and in the following year his ship was wrecked on the hostileCuban coast. His men, however, entrenched themselves, and were in the end brought off safely. He became commander-in-chief of theLeeward Islands Station in 1779.[4]
Parker was with his father at theBattle of Dogger Bank, and withRichard Howe in the two actions in theStraits of Gibraltar. He reachedflag rank on 1 February 1793, the same day that war was declared against the new French Republic. Asrear admiral, he served underSamuel Hood atToulon and inCorsica. He was promoted tovice admiral on 4 July 1794 and took part, underThe Lord Hotham, in the indecisive fleet actions on 13 March 1795 and 13 July 1795. From 1796 to 1800 he was in command at theJamaica Station[5] and ably conducted the operations in theWest Indies.[2] These included the tracking down and execution of a number of crewmen involved in the mutiny on boardHMSHermione in 1797.
In 1801 he was appointed to command theBaltic Fleet destined to break up the northern armed neutrality, with Vice-AdmiralHoratio Nelson as his second-in-command.Copenhagen, the first objective of the expedition, fell in theBattle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801 to the fierce attack of Nelson's squadron – Parker, with the heavier ships, taking little part[2] due to the shallowness of the channel.[6] At the height of the battle Parker, who was loath to infringe the customary rules of naval warfare,[6] raised the flag to disengage. Famously, Nelson ignored the order from his commander by raising his telescope to his blind eye and exclaiming "I really do not see the signal " (although this is generally accepted to be a myth). Nelson pressed on with the action and ultimately compelled the Danish forces to capitulate.[7] Parker's hesitation to advance up theBaltic Sea after his victory was later severely criticised. Soon afterwards he was recalled and Nelson succeeded him.[2] He died on 16 March 1807.[1][a]
In Parker's entry in theOxford Dictionary of National Biography his biographer Clive Wilkinson writes that until the Copenhagen affair he had "a good professional reputation" but after Copenhagen he was "considered irresolute and dilatory. In Wilson's opinion "As an officer, Parker was an able administrator rather than a great leader and this was to prove a weakness when it came to having bothSt Vincent as his chief and Nelson as a subordinate"; and that "He was evidently a popular man for as Nelson wrote after Copenhagen:"[8]
We all respect and love Sir Hyde; but the dearer his friends, the more uneasy they have been at his idleness for that is the truth—no criminality. I believe Sir H. P. to be as good a subject as His Majesty has.[9]
Parker was twice married: first, to Anne, daughter of John Palmer Boteler, and by her had three sons;[10] second, in 1800, he married Frances,[citation needed] a daughter of AdmiralSir Richard Onslow,[10] and made their home at the manor house inBenhall on theSuffolk coast.[8]
His first son – the thirdHyde Parker (1786–1854) – became a rear admiral in turn on 23 November 1841 and vice admiral on 4 June 1852. From 1853 he served asFirst Sea Lord of theRoyal Navy, and died on 25 May 1854.[10][11] His son Hyde, acaptain in the navy, commandedFirebrand in the Black Sea, and was killed on 8 July 1854 when storming a Russian fort at the mouth of theDanube.
Two other notable family members who fought in the Napoleonic wars are Parker's second son,John Boteler Parker, who died amajor general andC.B. in 1851, and the youngest, Harry, a lieutenant in the guards, who fell at theBattle of Talavera.[10]
Admiral William O'Bryen Drury.
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Parker, Sir Hydes.v. Admiral Sir Hyde Parker".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 827.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Laughton, John Knox (1895). "Parker, Hyde (1739-1807)". InLee, Sidney (ed.).Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 43. London:Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 244–245.| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station 1779–1780 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station 1796–1800 | Succeeded by |
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